What made SEC title great for Bruce Pearl? ‘The people that you shared the moment with’

Steven Pearl and Bruce Pearl on the sidelines during an Auburn men's basketball vs Florida on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, in Auburn, Ala. Steven Pearl was promoted by his father Bruce Pearl to a full-time assistant coach position on April 6, 2017.(Photo11: Dakota Sumpter/Auburn Athletics)

AUBURN — A decade apart, the moment between Bruce Pearl and his son Steven was the same. Two Pearl men celebrating a Southeastern Conference regular-season championship.

The only difference Saturday from Pearl’s 2008 title run with Tennessee was the attire of the younger Pearl because Steven was a walk-on on the Volunteers team coached by his father. As the clock expired Saturday, Bruce Pearl instantly turned to hug Steven — now in a suit as one of Pearl’s assistant coaches.

“Think about your great moments, whether it’s the birth of your child or something special has happened in your life,” Bruce Pearl said after the 79-70 win over South Carolina that clinched a share of the 2018 SEC title. “What makes those things great is the people that you shared the moment with. Think about it. That’s what makes this so special. To share this moment with the men in that locker room — we did this, and we did it together.”

It was Steven Pearl, who after being promoted to assistant coach last summer, told his father that the style and identity of Auburn had to change back to his days at Tennessee, Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Indianapolis in order for Auburn to end a 14-year NCAA Tournament drought.

“When Steven Pearl came on my staff as a coach, we started talking a little bit about my Tennessee rosters,” Bruce Pearl said. “He said: ‘You know, Dad, one of the biggest things was, yeah, we were a little more athletic and we did play fast, but you know what? You had some real tough kids and we’ve got to continue to have a bit of a focus on that toughness.' Steven Pearl was a tough kid.”

“Think about your great moments, whether it’s the birth of your child or something special has happened in your life. What makes those things great is the people that you shared the moment with.”

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl on the 2018 SEC Championship victory.

On Friday before its first game of the Southeastern Conference Tournament in St. Louis, Auburn (25-6) will be presented a regular-season championship trophy for only the third time. The hug between Pearl and his son was part of the dream when Pearl accepted the job on his birthday (March 18) in 2014 to create a historic moment the two Pearl men who’ve grown up loving basketball could appreciate together.

“For me, that’s what makes it special,” Bruce Pearl said Saturday. “You have to put up with me. That’s a full-time job. My players have to do it. My coaching staff has to do it, but we bring out the best in each other, and the results have been amazing this year.”

The results have included a rocky 2017-18 journey that started in September when assistant coach Chuck Person was among 10 people arrested, including assistants with four other schools, as a result of a long-term FBI investigation. Person, a former Auburn great whose jersey is retired, was indicted by a grand jury and subsequently fired by Auburn. He allegedly accepted $91,500 in bribes to use his influence over two Auburn players to introduce a relationship with a clothing dealer named Rashan Michel. Person is facing six felony charges that, if convicted, could result in 80 years in prison.

After an internal investigation by Auburn’s compliance department, the athletic department applied for the reinstatement of the amateur status of returning starters Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy. Auburn, which was projected in the SEC preseason poll to finish ninth, was already down two solid contributors and arguably two of the team’s three most talented players.

“When that situation happened, (Bruce Pearl) always just focused on what we could control, and that was just to come in every day, go hard and still try to get our goals,” Auburn point guard Jared Harper said.

Auburn celebrates their win against South Carolina after the NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, March 3, 2018, in Auburn, Ala. Auburn won 79-70. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)(Photo11: Brynn Anderson, AP)

Bruce Pearl, whose status hasn’t been resolved with the Auburn administration beyond him telling ESPN that “we’ve cooperated (with Auburn’s investigation) enough to still be here," became just the second coach to lead two SEC schools to a regular-season title. Other people around the Pearls' long embrace on the sideline seemed to instantly realize Saturday how far Bruce Pearl was from crying on a podium announcing his termination at Tennessee that resulted in an NCAA show-cause penalty. After his eighth conference title in his coaching career but arguably his most improbable, Pearl says he doesn’t see himself as a redemption story.

“I'm going to be 58 years old in March. I've been doing this since I was 14. So, you could look at some stumbling blocks along the way, a couple, and look at 40 years of being a teacher and a coach of so many different teams. I really don't see myself that way,” Bruce Pearl said. “I'm a teacher and a coach. We're graduating kids, we're making a difference in their lives. This is a tough business. For me, the fact that we've been able to bring championships every stop, that matters.”

Starting Friday, Auburn must now use the conference tournament and NCAA Tournament to validate the season Pearl provided to a fan base that was desperate for success.

“A lot of credit to Auburn and its administration and fans. Those kids, too,” South Carolina head coach Frank Martin said. “Obviously, Bruce has been involved in it to create the atmosphere that they have created. That was phenomenal. That is what college basketball is all about.”

For Bruce Pearl, whatever he’s created at Auburn has been better because of being able to celebrate with the people around him like his son.

“We had a good weekend,” Pearl said Monday. “I don’t know how your weekend was, but ours was really good.”